::: djoempalitan :::

Month: March 2016

The pink apartment we used to live in. The business building near the parking space kept changing tenants. The best time was when they opened an arcade there. When we had leftover bus fares, we’d play a game or two or just loiter around watching other kids play. Oh, and checking vending machines for leftover change. Hahaha. Call it kere. I call it ‘resourceful’.

The building in front was a condominium. I got to learn how to ride Michelle’s bike in that parking lot. I was also able to jump over the fence like a pro.

There used to be a big tree at the corner of the parking space (bottom left) Very shady with a huge trunk. It was nice to wait for the bus under or to wait for the light to change. I used to search for gecko eggs in the branch barks, while waiting. Cute, round, white, little eggs.

The apartment was a 15 minute walk from a Japanese School. The Japanese School’s pool was open for public on Summer vacation. Because most schools are closed during summer (3 months vacation FTW!) So we often played there if Mom was too busy to take us to the beach.

A 15 minute walk from a public library also, where Dad used to send us when he needed some quiet to do his research. The cool and brightly lit library with a huge collection of children’s books was a safe haven for me. There were book reading sessions by the cute librarians and magazine corners as well as audio visual corners.

A 5 minute walk from the Boys and Girls Club, located near our brother’s Jr. High School. They had fuss ball games, arcades (we could play bubble bobble for free! The Mas-Mas will have this key and he’d turn it when we got permission or a coupon for doing other activities, I forgot). There was a basketball court, where my 2nd brother, Yogas, and his team would practice and compete. There was a workshop, where you could learn about carpentry, crafts. Also a library and movie room. – with Nahdia

When I read the part about Tengo’s childhood, I could swear I’ve read about it somewhere before. About the father who didn’t look like him. About the NHK subscription fee rounds every Sunday. About his math abilities. About being afraid of being seen by his classmates on Sundays. Even the part where Tengo thought his father envied him.

All of these details were in a folder in a drawer in my head somewhere I couldn’t retrieve because, my head, as most of you already know, is somewhat a mess.

I was guessing it has been written in one of Murakami Sensei’s vast collection of works. After all, writers do like testing their characters in short pieces, giving them a taste of life, letting them live their fates bit by bit.

I was tempted to google it, perhaps somebody felt the same peculiarity as me. I denied the urge. But couldn’t for long. As the details kept adding up to contents of that damned misplaced folder in my cluttered memory.

So I asked Uncle Google, “Why am I familiar with Tengo’s story?”

And his answer was, “Of course you’re familiar with him, Silly. You’ve read about his adventure in ‘The Town of Cats’.

Was wondering how to start an illustration of a room scene. As always I turned to Pinterest for some ideas. Pascal Campion’s art has always caught me. They tell stories. Mostly about family, relationships and loneliness. Which I find myself drawn to a lot.

The inevitable thing happens when you’re on the Internet, as you browse to find out about A, you most likely wil end up reading about Q.

Today, universe was kind. She didn’t let me wander too far away from A, as I clicked on a video of Pascal telling us about his creative process and a short glimpse of how his work is done.

I found just what I needed. A new lesson. I think it’s what people who’ve been through art school call “perspective point”. Where you make a dot anywhere in your blank paper and give lines pointing out of it to every direction as your guidelines/grid lines. Every object drawn must obey the lines as to make the perspective of the object realistic.

Haha. I know. I’m bad at making definitions. I hope my point gets across, though.

Now I can continue conceptualizing the picture book I have in my head.

Sometimes, you have to look at yourself from the outside. The situation you are in. The situation you wish you could be in. The situation you have the potentiality to be in. Wanting to be in a different condition doesn’t mean throwing a way the one you no longer want to be in. But rather finding away to make things work. Call it magic, for being two places at once.
This is resilience.
This is what molds you into becoming a stronger person.
This is what later will catapult you to the situation you wished for.
By taking into consideration all the hearts and all the loves concerned with your decisions.